Page 1 of 139 Meath Children’s Services Committee Children and Young People’s Plan 2012 - 2015 This document is a template prepared by the Centre for Effective Services on behalf of the OMCYA and the NCSIG November 2010 Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 2 of 139 Contact “The Meath Children’s Services Committee welcomes comments, views and opinions about our Children and Young People’s Plan. Please contact: Meath CSC Coordinator, Mr. Leonard Callaghan at [email protected] Children & Family Services, Navan Enterprise Centre, Trim Road, Navan, Co. Meath. (046) 9097844 (087) 6441418 Copies of this plan are available on: www. Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 3 of 139 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Section 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5 Background to the CSC initiative and policy context .......................................................................... 6 Who we are ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Achievements to date ......................................................................................................................... 8 How the Children and Young People’s Plan was developed............................................................... 8 Section 2: Socio-Demographic Profile of County Meath ...................................................................... 10 Section 3: Overview of Services to Children and Families in County Meath ........................................ 44 Section 4: Local Needs Analysis in County Meath ................................................................................ 47 Section 5: Summary of Children and Young People’s Plan for County Meath ..................................... 48 Section 6: Action Plan for Meath Children’s Services Committee ........................................................ 49 Section 7: Monitoring and Review ........................................................................................................ 66 Section 8: Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 67 Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 4 of 139 Foreword Meath Children’s Services Committee Foreword Children’s Services Committees are a local county based structure for bringing together agencies who work with children to engage in joint planning of services for children. Meath Children’s Services Committee has been in existence for the past year. Through the membership of our Committee, we are committed to arriving at a joint understanding with services and service users of the issues, which impact on the well being of children and families in Meath. In our working together, our focus is to ensure that statutory agencies, and community and voluntary services secure better developmental outcomes for children in Meath through more effective integrations of existing services and interventions at local level. To achieve this, we have worked together to develop the Meath Children and Young People’s Plan 2012-2015 in line with local needs and the 5 National outcome areas for children. All members of the committee have contributed to the development of the plan and we are committed to delivering on the objectives, indicators, targets and activities under each of the priority areas identified. As joint chairs of the Meath Children’s Services Committee we warmly welcome the plan and thank our Committee and working group members for their contributions to date. We are committed to the growth and development of our Committee over the next 3 years. We will work to ensure that our achievements will have long term positive impacts on children and families in Meath, so that our children can grow up in families and inclusive local communities where they are healthy, happy and secure. The bonds and relationships between people in Meath are strong and have served us well in the past. Let us now, at a time when our county is suffering from economic downturn and services are facing funding challenges, commit to working together to ensure that our children will celebrate and remember our efforts on their behalf. Sean Boylan Joint Chairs, Meath Children’s Services Committee Mary Hargaden October, 2012 Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 5 of 139 Section 1: Introduction The purpose of the Children’s Services Committees is to secure better developmental outcomes for children through more effective integration of existing services and interventions at local level. The Five National Outcomes for Children in Ireland envision that all children should be: Healthy, both physically and mentally Supported in active learning Safe from accidental and intentional harm/ Secure in the immediate and wider physical environment Economically secure Part of positive networks of family, friends, neighbours and the community/Included and participating in society Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 6 of 139 Background to the CSC initiative and policy context Children’s Services Committees in Ireland The Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA) established the Children’s Services Committees in 2007 with the purpose of improving outcomes for children and families at local and community level. CSCs do this through interagency collaboration and joint planning and coordination of services. A major Government policy which influenced and informed the development of the Children’s Services Committees is the Agenda for Children’s Services: A policy handbook (2007). The Agenda sets out the strategic direction and key goals of public policy in relation to children’s health and social services. At the core of the Agenda is the promotion of good outcomes for children. In this Children and Young People’s Plan the national outcomes for children in Ireland are linked with local priority areas, objectives, indicators and activities. Children’s Services Committee in County Meath Meath Children’s Services Committee was established in June, 2011, with members representing the HSE, Meath County Council, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service, Meath VEC, the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN), the National Association of Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPDP), the North East-Regional Drugs Task Force, Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and the Voluntary Sector. The Meath CSC will oversee and direct the delivery of initiatives that will improve outcomes for children, and which require collaboration between services. Children’s Services Committees are about improving outcomes for all children, with the aim of pooling and directing resources to children and families most requiring of same. The delivery of better services to children in Meath includes the need for quality support and interventions, coordination of service delivery, assessment and evaluation in order to inform best practice and policy development. Children and Young People’s Plan Template – CES Final Version Page 7 of 139 Who we are The Meath Children’s Services Committee (CSC) is comprised of representatives from Community, Voluntary and Statutory agencies that deliver services to children in County Meath. In order that the CSC can address issues relating to the National Outcomes for Children, senior managers and key decision makers from all the major statutory and voluntary services for children and families are represented on the CSC. Membership of the Meath CSC includes representatives from the agencies listed below. Leadership on the CSC initiative, at a national level, has been provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA). The DCYA designated the HSE to lead this new initiative under the auspices of the County Development Board (Governance Framework for the Working Together for Children Initiative, 2011). This decision was driven by the fact that the HSE is responsible for child welfare and protection and family support services, and has trained professionals to support the delivery of these services Membership of Meath Children’s Services Committee Name Title Organisation Mr. Seán Boylan Community (Chairperson) Community Representative Ms. Mary Hargaden Area Manager (Co-Chairperson) HSE Children & Family Services (From 1st January, 2012 – to Louth/Meath present) Mr. Boyd Dodds Regional Lead, Children First & Child HSE Children & Family Services (From 22nd June, 2011 – 28th Protection Dublin NE February, 2012) Mr. Tom Dowling (from 22nd County Manager Meath County Council June, 2011 - Sept 2012) Mr. Des Foley Director of Housing & Community Meath County Council (Deputy Chairperson) Ms. Mary Gormley Superintendent An Garda Síochána Meath Division Ms. Kerry Quinn Senior Probation Officer Probation Ms. Eileen Gilsenan Assistant Director of PHN HSE Dr. Peter Nolan Chief Medical Officer HSE Dublin North East (from 22nd June, 2011 – 25th June, 2012) Dr. Ros Quinlan (from 24th July, Medical Officer HSE Meath 2012 – present) Dr. Emma Clare Senior Research & Development HSE Dublin North East Officer Ms. Catherine McGlone Family Support & Child Welfare HSE (From 12th October, 2011 – 27th Services Manager March, 2012) Ms.